Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1887-06-30

DAKOTA DRIFT.
A settlers Question About Occupied
School Lnnds Answered-The Autonl
Graf of Public fseMatn The state
hood Movement.
Chicago Inter- Ocean: A settler at
Buffalo, OAK. asks The Inter Ocean if
there is any way to save the school lands
of this territory from occupation aud
spoilation by land syndicate corpora
tions. The question has been asked be-
fore, and referred in q number Of IN
stances to the honorable commissioner
OF the general land office. But good
MIR. Sparks has no time to bother with
the problem presented by the unlawful
occupation OF Thousands of acres OF the
school landss supposed to belong to Da-
kota. He is too busy protecting the
rights Of our democratic Uncle Sam
from the invasion on the public domain
of the intrepid voting who teach
school, and many of whom very natur-
ally want to marry, contrary to Mr..
Sparks ruling, during the period of resi-
dence in the lonely .sshsckn 90 the prairie.
Kind and ohivalrio Mr.. Sparks may be
able to give some of his attention after
awhile to the school lands, bnt ten to
one when he does, he'll strike right over
the heads of the bonanza and
monopoly sort of farmers, and light on
the poor devil Of Q squatter, patiently
grubbing the soil and honestly
wishing to obtain the land one day by
paying for it out Of the proceeds OF his
toll.
The attention of our good and loyal
president, and of congress-, has been
called to the urgent necessity for the
protection Of these school lands, held In
national trust for q territory that ought
to have been divided and admitted as
two states long ago. Until north and
south Dakota obtain statehood, the
control of these lands rests exclusively
in the hands of the goverament-and 8
government be it remembered, the exc
cutive and one of the legislative branch
es of which arc hostile to the "Dakota
northwest" and are permitting its
school lands to be seized and taken, to
the shame of the nation whose trust in
respect thereto is openly violated. The
greatest evil, and the most serious loss,
of which complains has been made,
result from the actual seizure and for
feltnre OF the two "schooI sections" OF
land in each township in those areas yet
u~nsurveyed, which are being ovsrrun
with the tide of immigration and the
settlement o finding about the last OF
the agricultural lands OF the government
il. northwestern Dakota. No withdrawal
of the school lands can be made until
after the surveys are made. and ccnse-
Iquently when q whole township in the
.ls1x., . r.A. -. 10
Mr.. Sparks has beaten the territory of
Dakota out of 1880 aoses more of good
land: because this autocrat of the public
domain persists in retarding and with
holding the surveys of public lands-in
some instances only authorizing surveys
to be made after their settlement for
three years. Why does he do itP
Mr.. Secretary Lamar, in an order
seemingly as full OF power as it is of law
and good common senss, says these lands
must be surveyed. But are they ?
Does Mr.. Sparks carry out these orders Z
Not much--and 1t Is the boast of the
latter that his antagonist, of all things
northwestern and republican, in the face
of his superior's orders, are winning
him an enduring vice presidential fame
in the mugWumpian quarters, where the
growth OF the new northwest is a mem
ance to their dynasty in politics, OF
which Grover Cleveland is merely the
~stupendous figure head.
Where the school fund of q state or
territory is depleted in the manner above
described it ID provided thatin lieu there.
OF other sections OF ~unoccnpled public
land, corresponding in number of the
tracts 80 lost, and situated within the
same land district in each stgte or terri
tory where indemnify is made may be
selected for the benefit OF the said state
or territory. But this indemnity OF
schoolslaads has only been applied for as
[ am informed by one or two states up to
this time. a national commission must
be appointed to select these lands ard
this is what Dakota has asked for With.
out being heard. In the the case oil
Dakota, moreover, q special act OF aon-
gress is desired and petitioned for
whereby the commission to be appointed
may be empowered to make these in.
demnity selections without regard to
land district boundaries. For example
the rapid settlement of the territory has
left no u~nocoupied lands of any value
for indemnify purposes in the southern
lcounties. and the school lands lost in the
older districts must be reclaimed, il at
all through additional selections in the
newer districts--and that. right speedily
or they can't be had.
This would raise another question,
namely, whether a greater amount OF
land for school purposes within 8 single
district than the ordinary allotment OF
two sections out of every township
should be allowed. But it is doubtful
if we ever get that far along with the
matter; and 1t may be accepted as q fore
gone conclusion that Dakota is losing
section after section OF school lands to-
day, which will never be restored TO her
land all through this violation OF pub
lilo trust. defiance of department orders
and hatred fer Q union loving portion OF
the country IN the part OF the man who
Yields such o tremendous power for
public ill by the grace ofa democratic
administration.
Dakota protests, bnt peacefully
Robbed of her school lands, still she
makes ne sign of cou%ntenancing other
than lawful and patriotic means to
obtain her rights. Her people, by di-
rect taxation on their own industry, pay
out annually the sum of 100000 fol
the support Of schools, and haze invest
ed, 30 far, the sum OF So. 900 900 in per-
manent school property. These figures
put Dakota q long way ahead of o num-
Der Of states with school funds TO draw
upon,
Dakota waits but submits, never! She
is just getting ready for o louder KNOCK
than ever, at the door Of the union, 30
long shut in her face. And this time
| Mr. S%nrinper. IL ia poipp IN he n donhle